Seat structures



F. W. BABBS SEAT STRUCTURES July 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 14, 1963 F. W. BABES SEAT STRUCTURES July 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 14, 1963 United States Patent 3,140,896 SEAT STRUCTURES Frederick William Babbs, Watford, England, assignor to Cox of Watford Limited, Watford, England, a British company Filed May 14, 1963, Ser. No. 280,291 Claims priority, application Great Britain Aug. 16, 1962 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-367) This invention relates to seat structures particularly of the kind suitable for use in vehicles, and has for its main object to provide an improved seat structure in which the inclination of the seat back may be varied or adjusted.

The invention accordingly consists in a seat structure wherein the back frame is swingable about fixed pivots disposed in front of the back frame and is adapted to be held in a selected position by locking members adapted to engage in arcuate shaped members disposed below said pivots.

According to the preferred arrangement, the locking members comprise slidably mounted rods or plungers disposed within the back frame and the pivots are disposed above the level of the seat frame and at the centre of curvature of the arcuate shaped members which serve as guides for the lower end of the back frame.

Preferably the said pivots are formed in brackets attached to the seat frame and connect with forwardly projecting members on the back frames and the rods or plungers are controlled by a spring loaded actuating member mounted in the back frame, said rods or plungers being adapted to engage with any one of a plurality of notches or apertures in the arcuate shaped guides when the back frame has been swung into the selected position.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a seat structure in which the invention is embodied;

FIGURE 2 is a side view to an enlarged scale of the mechanism provided for adjusting the inclination of the back frame of the seat structure;

FIGURE 3 is part section of the line AA of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the actuating handle and mechanism for adjusting the back frame, and

FIGURE 5 is a scrap section of a modified arrangement for locking the back frame in its adjusted position.

Referring now to these drawings, I construct my improved seat structure in the form of separate seat and back frames 1 and 2 of substantially rectangular or other convenient shape, and for the purpose of connecting the two frames together and allowing the inclination of the back frame to be varied or adjusted, I provide each side part 3 of the seat frame 1 with a bracket member 4 of substantially L-shaped formation which is bolted to the seat frame so that the upstanding arm 5 of the bracket is disposed a short distance in front of the rear end of the seat frame and the end of the upstanding part is disposed above the level of the seat frame. Each of the side parts 6 of the back frame 2 is provided near its lower end with a forwardly projecting ear piece or lug 7 which is welded or otherwise secured to the back frame and the ends of these lugs are connected by pivot pins 8 to the upstanding ends 5 of the aforesaid L-shaped brack- 3,140,896 Patented July 14, 1964 ice ets 4 so that the back frame 2 is free to swing about these pivots 8, thus enabling quick and simple assembly of the back of the base frame. The back frame can be a prealigned unit. In order that the back frame may be located or locked in any selected position, the rear part of the seat frame is provided with two part circular shaped plates 9 which are secured to or under the side parts 3 of the seat frame and are disposed under the lower ends of the side parts 6 of the back frame, the aforesaid pivots 8 being at the centre of curvature of these plates 9 so that the latter serve as guides for the lower ends 10 of the side parts 6 of the back frame when the latter is swung from one position to another. Each of the plates 9 is provided with a set of notches or apertures 11 and each side part 6 of the back frame is provided with a locking plunger 12 which is adapted to engage with any selected one of the aforesaid notches or apertures 11 so as to lock the back frame against movement. These plungers 12 are slidably mounted and pre-aligned in tubes disposed in the side parts 6 of the back frame and are controlled by a spring loaded actuating handle or trigger which conveniently comprises a transverse bar 13 mounted in the back frame and terminating in a right angled end part 14 at one side of the back frame which serves as a handle so that movement of the latter rotates the rod which is bent or deformed to provide two U-shaped parts 15 so arranged as to engage under the bent upper ends 16 of the locking plungers 12 so that rotation of the rod 13 by the handle 14 lifts the plungers 12 clear of the notches or apertures 11 in the guide plates 9 and allows the back frame 2 to be swung into another position. This transverse bar 13 can be inserted through back frame after it has been upholstered thus easing the trimming operation. Conveniently the locking plungers 12 are spring loaded by means of helical springs 17, which are tensioned between a part 21 of the back frame and a stop 18 on the plunger 12, so that when the back frame has been moved into the desired position and the actuating handle is released, the locking plungers 12 will fly back into the appropriate notches or apertures 11, thus locking the back frame in the new position. If desired the lower ends of the locking plungers 12 may be provided with one or more projecting teeth 19 as shown in FIG- URE 5, adapted to engage with corresponding pitched notches or apertures 20 in the arcuate plates 9 so as to afford a finer degree of adjustment when altering the position of the back frame.

I claim:

1. Adjustable seat structure comprising a supporting seat frame, and a movable back frame, said seat frame having fixed pivots disposed above the level of the seat frame, and arcuate shape guide members disposed below the level of said seat frame, said back frame having side parts connected to said pivots with their lower ends cooperatively arranged with said guide members, said back frame also having locking rods slidably arranged in said side parts for engaging with any one of a set of slots in said guide members when said back frame is swung about said pivots into a selected position.

2. Adjustable seat structure comprising a supporting seat frame, and a movable back frame, said seat frame having upstanding brackets containing fixed pivots for said back frame, and arcuate shaped guide members disposed below the level of said seat frame, so that said pivots are disposed at the centre of curvature of said guide members, said back frame being provided with support brackets mounted in said pivots, and having side parts cooperating at their lower ends with said guide members, said back frame also having spring loaded locking rods slidably arranged in said side parts for engaging with any one of a set of slots in said guide members when said back frame is swung about said pivots into a selected position.

3. Adjustable seat structure as claimed in claim 2, and comprising an actuating rod transversely mounted in said back frame, said actuating rod having deformed parts disposed in operative engagement with actuating parts of said locking rods whereby rotation of said actuating rods effects a sliding movement of said locking rods so as to bring about the withdrawal of said rods from the slots in said guide members.

4. Adjustable seat structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein said locking rods have bent upper ends for engaging with the deformed parts of said actuating rod,

and forked lower ends for engaging with pairs of slots in said arcuate shaped guide members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 775 Carver June 12, 1838 562,920 Salquist June 30, 1896 2,093,510 Brenner Sept. 21, 1937 2,367,829 Shinn Jan. 23, 1945 2,430,604 Dorton Nov. 11, 1947 2,567,626 Trouslot Sept. 11, 1951 2,638,150 May May 12, 1953 2,670,785 Machet Mar. 2, 1954 2,769,987 Thal Nov. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 766,163 Great Britain Ian. 16, 1957 1,210,248 France Sept. 28, 1959 

1. ADJUSTABLE SEAT STRUCTURE COMPRISING A SUPPORTING SEAT FRAME, AND A MOVABLE BACK FRAME, SAID SEAT FRAME HAVING FIXED PIVOTS DISPOSED ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SEAT FRAME, AND ARCUATE SHAPE GUIDE MEMBERS DISPOSED BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID SEAT FRAME, SAID BACK FRAME HAVING SIDE PARTS CONNECTED TO SAID PIVOTS WITH THEIR LOWER ENDS COOPERATIVELY ARRANGED WITH SAID GUIDE MEMBERS, SAID BACK FRAME ALSO HAVING LOCKING RODS SLIDABLY ARRANGED IN SAID SIDE PARTS FOR ENGAGING WITH ANY ONE OF A SET OF SLOTS IN SAID GUIDE MEMBERS WHEN SAID BACK FRAME IS SWUNG ABOUT SAID PIVOTS INTO A SELECTED POSITION. 